Stella Rossa out

Anniversary: Bitter defeat followed broken ribs

Futsal club Stella Rossa had a very bitter weekend. They suffered a painful 5:12 defeat in the cup semi-final against Liberta to mark their 25th anniversary, and it was also painful for coach Aleksandar Ristovski.

Everything was in place for the Stella Rossa futsalers to celebrate their 25th anniversary (they have won five championships and eight cup titles to date) by reaching the cup final. After the final whistle, however, there were long faces in the Rundhalle Simmering.

Despite leading 3:2 at the break, Stella really went down in the derby against Liberta in the second period, losing 5:12! The home side scored nine times in the space of 14 minutes. "Unfortunately, I was missing six team players, which was clear to see, but of course that's no excuse. We replaced our goalkeeper with an extra player in possession and made blatant mistakes at the back," said coach Aleks Ristovski.

For him, the evening ended painfully, and not just in sporting terms. "I also broke my rib afterwards after a collision in the legends game. A diabolical weekend."